Getting people to participate in fundraiser events can often feel like pulling teeth. Understanding what motivates people to participate, why those who choose not to attend opt out, and what could push people to participate in future events are key components in increasing future participation. Here are a few ways to encourage involvement.

1. Widening your reach. One primary cause for people not attending fundraising events is simply because they did not know about the event. It is important to look at your current marketing strategy for events and see where the plan could be better. Some solutions to this would be to be more active on social media, in the community, or building partnerships with other companies or associations.

2. Spreading your mission. Making the cause of the fundraiser known is vital. The cause of the event can be a strong driver in participation. Emphasizing the cause in marketing messages will make people feel that their time and money are worth it. This can be done by showing who or what they money raised will be going to after the fundraiser.

4. Bring a friend. Encouraging people to bring a friend to the event, not only increases participation, but also makes people more likely to go. Having someone to go with and socialize with makes the experience more fun and comfortable. Setting up a Facebook page for the event is a great way for participants to see if anyone else they know is going.

Improving marketing messages and creating a unique experience for participants can lead to a successful fundraising event. These small adjustments can lead to a bring return for your association.

As an association management company, our team is involved with the planning and organization of many events. These events can include large conventions, multi-day conferences or annual board meetings. These events are a great way connect with current members but have the potential to reach further. By creating marketing material around your event, you can broaden the audience and inform others of your association or organization. Below is a list of ways to spread the word of your event and encourage attendance growth for your next.

#Hashtags. Hashtags are a great way to connect the people at the event. If they post a picture or make a comment about the event on social media, it is important to encourage the use of a designated hashtag. If people who follow those that attend the event on social media, they have the opportunity to click the hashtag and get a feel for what the event entails.

Picture taking is a must. It can be helpful to give people reasons to take pictures at your event. This could be done with a photo booth, Snapchat filter, or an aesthetically pleasing picture wall. The options are endless. This can add to the personality of the event and allows for free promotion on social media.

The power of videos. If you have the resources, hiring someone to video the event and make a compilation of the top moments can come with a lot of benefits. Putting those videos to the perfect song can evoke emotion in people and possibly have them considering attending your next event.

These few ways to promote the event can make a big difference. At your next event, make sure you are utilizing these tools to increase awareness and create a brand personality for your association.

As an association management company, our team uses several software programs to properly manage each associations` personal needs. Over the years, the team has noticed pros and cons of each program. We recently conducted research to compare the programs and have included the results below!

October 9, 2018, Madison, Wisconsin –Impact Services (Impact) is pleased and proud to announce the signing of Kids’ Chance of Nebraska (KCNE) as their newest client.

“Kids’ Chance of Nebraska is excited about our new partnership with Impact. As a completely volunteer board, we have reached a point that we need assistance to help spread our mission. We are looking to Impact to help us make an “Impact” on our mission.” shares KCNE President, Shawn Wills.

“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to support KCNE’s mission in providing scholarships for children in need. The dedication KCNE has to those whose parents were seriously injured or deceased due to workplace accidents is one that is making a difference. We are excited to be a part of that difference and develop this partnership,” adds Jodi Fisher, CEO, Impact Services

About Kids’ Chance of Nebraska

Kids’ Chance is an organization that was founded in 1988. KCNE’s mission is “To provide financial support to further the education of the children of Nebraska workers who have been severely injured, totally disabled or killed as a result of employment related injuries or occupational diseases. It is the goal of Kids’ Chance of Nebraska to make a difference in the lives of these children by providing scholarships to help eligible students achieve both their educational goals and their families’ dreams.” The volunteers on the board of KCNE strive to grow the organization and touch more lives.

Impact Services was founded in 2006 by Jodi Fisher, and since then they have successfully supported many Associations in growing and increasing profits and memberships. Now expanded into a robust team, Impact consists of Social Media experts, Non-Profit Administrators and Executive Administrative Assistants with impressive backgrounds in Association support, small business operations and international corporations. Their mission is to provide customized, efficient, and forward-thinking association management services to small and medium sized Associations with a highly skilled, dedicated team of Executive Administrators.

We recently participated in a webinar called Client Evaluations: What to ask and what to do with the findings, hosted by ASAE (American Society of Association Executives). As a small business, we are continuously evolving, learning and growing. Being a member of ASAE helps us do so! Below are a few of the questions we thought were most interesting including our take on them.

What value does your AMC take from conducting Client Evaluations-is it worth the effort?

Feedback from Clients is invaluable to our small business. We realize that people are busy (especially those who hold full time careers as well as volunteer their time to an Association), so we are especially grateful when we receive an evaluation response.

It is our goal that the feedback directly relates to the level of service we provide. Our Clients are essentially telling us how to successfully support them, we’d be foolish not to listen! The key is to take the suggestions and create actionable items for our team.

What metrics do you use to gauge your company’s performance?

Our Director of Operations gets to know each Client as they on-board with our team. Their role is to check in with the new Client regularly during the first year. They address any changing expectations, opportunities for improvement, identify areas where more training would be helpful and gauge the overall satisfaction during the first stage of our partnership.

We offer and strongly encourage Clients to participate in an annual review with the Director of Operations and the CEO of Impact. This is a great time to review the Organization’s goals for the upcoming year and again address any challenges or weak-points in the partnership. We also like to share our goals and areas of training we’ve invested in.

We also use online surveys to gauge performance. These are carefully written, multiple choice surveys that can always be submitted confidentially.

What key performance indicators show your impact?

We agree with how the panel responded to this question. We measure the success of our Clients in several ways: showing growth in memberships, annual finances, conference attendance, longevity of members, increased involvement, increased communication with members, increased engagement online/social media, increased open rates of e-newsletters, etc. If our partner associations are experiencing success, then so are we.

October 2, 2018, Madison, Wisconsin –Impact Services (Impact) is pleased and proud to announce the signing of the Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association (WEMTA) as their newest client.

“WEMTA is very excited to begin our partnership with Impact! We look forward to the growth and organization that Tammy and Ashley will provide us. In seeking out a new association management company, we sought experience, availability, and like-minded individuals. We believe Impact will be essential to WEMTA's success as an organization! ” shares WEMTA President, Michele Green.

“We’re beyond excited to support WEMTA’s mission in providing learning experiences for students and encouraging their academic growth. WEMTA’s rich history and culture has shaped it to be an astounding association that is continuing to grow. We are proud to work with WEMTA and look forward to building this partnership,” adds Jodi Fisher, CEO, Impact Services.

About the Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association

The Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association is an organization that serves school library media and instructional technology professionals. The association aims to provide leadership and professional growth in the educational community. WEMTA`s mission is “To provide learning experiences that prepare students to flourish in an information-rich world.”

Impact Services was founded in 2006 by Jodi Fisher, and since then they have successfully supported many Associations in growing and increasing profits and memberships. Now expanded into a robust team, Impact consists of Social Media experts, Non-Profit Administrators and Executive Administrative Assistants with impressive backgrounds in Association support, small business operations and international corporations. Their mission is to provide customized, efficient, and forward-thinking association management services to small and medium sized Associations with a highly skilled, dedicated team of Executive Administrators.

When running an association, it is always important to keep your goals on the forefront. They keep the association moving in the intended direction and create a cohesive mission for all members of the association to work towards. With that said, here are some goals that many associations share and often have trouble achieving.

Bringing in the money. Money is the key to opportunities for associations. It allows them to reach more people and better manage the association. Obtaining more money can come by increasing both membership and donors. After this, the option to increase dues and event fees would allow the association to provide more resources and events for the members.

Growing membership. If your association is looking for members, some great ways to increase membership would be to increase awareness of the association. This can be done through informative marketing. Making sure the right people are aware of your association and have a full understanding of what your association does, will bring in more members. Another option would be to provide incentives for membership referrals from current association members. This could draw in a significant amount of new members.

Setting priorities. A lot of things can be thrown your way in an association. It is important to have a clear understanding of where priorities are ranked. This will allow the association to run more efficiently and smoothly. Setting priorities starts with communication. This can be done with board members and other crucial people to the association.

Here at Impact Services, we put a lot of thought into how to make our office space somewhere that is both functional and comfortable. Here are a few ways we balance the two.

1. Color. Bright green walls and a chalk board wall surround us while we work. This creates energy and creativity in the office, inspiring work and bringing the energy in the office up. Stark white walls and florescent lights can dampen anyone`s day. Brightening up the walls is a great way to brighten up the moods.

2. Functionality. We have arranged our desks in a way that everyone in the office can see each other while they work. This is a way to create easier communication between employees and motivate one another. When you see others hard at work, it is hard to feel lazy or fall into a slump. This method of organization also lowers the amount of distraction. When your desk is turned away from others, you are constantly wanting to turn around to check out what is happening around you. While facing the room, you can keep up with your surroundings while continuing your work.

3. Personal touches. It is important to feel comfortable in your office. It will increase productivity and reduce stress levels. By displaying personal photos in the office, employees feel more at home and it creates a sense of belonging. This feeling translates into happier employees and a more productive work environment.

Running an association can be chaotic at times. Association management companies are a helpful way to relieve some of that stress. Here are 3 advantages to working with an association management company!

1. Keeping your eye on the prize. Tasks can easily pile up for an association and distract people, preventing them from being able to work towards larger goals. Association management companies allow you to work towards long term goals and the overall vision of your association by alleviating you of tedious tasks.

2. Experience is key. By working with an association management company, you are gaining an experienced staff that has worked with many other associations. The experienced staff has knowledge and preparation for scenarios that you might not be prepared to handle. It also provides a chance for growth. The skilled professionals might also have suggestions and new ideas that can help build your association.

3. Organization leads to success. Associations are often in charge of managing large numbers of people and information. Whether it be emails, files, or data, things can get a bit messy. Association management companies can step in and help clean things up. Once things are organized, the association will run more efficiently, and success will follow.

Over the years we’ve worked with a lot of different Clients who were in many different situations. Some had never worked with an Association Management Company (AMC) before. Some had their Administrator up and leave with zero notice or information left to help pick up the pieces! We’ve seen it all and here are four things our Administrators want your Organization to know.

Perhaps your Association has a Facebook page already. Or maybe you post on LinkedIn every so often, but is that enough? We understand that time and resources are often tight among non-profit organizations but below are some reasons why we think it’s worth the investment.

Conference calls can be choppy, awkward and far from efficient—don’t let this happen to you! They can also be a wonderful option for connecting with your virtual team and an effective way to get things done with a group. Follow our quick tips for participating or hosting a call like a PRO!

It’s how Impact got started and we still love working with motivated, (often, over-worked), talented Entrepreneurs. Sometimes it can be hard for business owners to identify what exactly to delegate when working with one of our Administrative Assistants. After all, they’re used to doing everything themselves! Below are some tasks we often handle for clients: